Accenture will help clients more efficiently deliver large infrastructure projects in North America

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Anser Advisory, an advisory and management company for infrastructure projects in the United States.

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Answer Advisory to become part of Accenture. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The acquisition will enhance Accenture’s ability to help companies and state and local public sector organizations complete large, long-term infrastructure projects more predictably and efficiently – projects that support growth for clients and have a positive impact on communities. The move will expand Accenture's capital project capabilities, moving the company into an adjacent business with an estimated $88 billion of addressable market in North America¹.

Investments in ambitious infrastructure and energy transition projects are projected to drive non-residential spending to $1.033 trillion in the United States in 2023². They are driven by government stimuli such as the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, and a trend toward bringing manufacturing back to the US. These programs include building and modernizing electric grids, water projects, freight and passenger rail transportation, airports, electric vehicle charging and alternative fuel infrastructure, gigafactories, semiconductor plants, broadband internet and public buildings.

Anser Advisory has a proven track record of reducing the risks and impacts of project delays and cost overruns on large-scale critical infrastructure projects. They bring a rare mix of strategy expertise and hands-on know-how from working with owners’ engineering, procurement and construction providers on the ground.

Anser Advisory’s services span advisory, compliance and management services. Owners of capital projects engage Anser Advisory to advise them on how to structure, estimate and plan projects, to monitor the work being done, and to assist them in managing and executing all phases of projects. Increasingly, clients are engaging Anser Advisory to help advance decarbonization and clean energy projects in sectors including energy transmission, distribution and storage, sustainability programs and fleet electrification.

Aaron Saint, North America lead for Accenture Industry X, said: “Accenture and Anser Advisory will support our clients’ critical capital projects by combining ‘boots on the ground’ know-how, deep industry expertise and leading-edge digital capabilities – while also opening new adjacent market share opportunities for Accenture. We will reinvent how people do their work, the processes they execute, and the technologies they use to deliver mission critical projects on time and on budget. Given the large-scale investments and projected labor shortages in North America, this is the right time to combine our capabilities and help deliver on our clients’ ambitious infrastructure commitments.”

Jimmy Etheredge, CEO of Accenture North America, added: “This acquisition positions Accenture as a key player in the tremendous investment that is taking place to modernize North America's infrastructure in a sustainable manner. Combining Anser Advisory’s experience with our digital technology expertise is a game-changing transformation for infrastructure projects.”

Bryan Carruthers, CEO of Anser Advisory, said: “Clients engage Anser Advisory as a trusted advisor to minimize risk and maximize outcomes when they invest in critical infrastructure. By joining Accenture, we will be able to provide new value and scale to our clients to support their missions and opportunities for our people to grow their careers at one of the world’s most prestigious companies.”

Founded in 1996, Anser Advisory is headquartered in Santa Ana, California, and has approximately 1,200 employees across 13 states. Accenture will acquire the Anser Advisory brand with its approximately 920 employees working on private sector and state and local public projects. Markon Solutions, a 280-people Anser Advisory subsidiary working with US federal clients, will be retained by Sterling Investment Partners and Markon Solutions management.

Recent acquisitions Accenture has made to expand its capabilities for asset-intensive industries include Eclipse Automation, a provider of customized manufacturing automation and robotics solutions; umlaut, a global engineering services provider; and Advoco, an asset management services provider.

Completion of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including required antitrust clearances.

¹ Source: Gartner

² Source: UBS

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 738,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners, and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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